THE BIOGRAPHY OF JOHN H. JOHNSON
Publisher and Chairman
Johnson Publishing Company, Inc.

John
H. Johnson is a shining example of what is possible for
African Americans once they are allowed the opportunity to fulfill
their potential.

Born in humble circumstances in Arkansas City, Arkansas, on January 19, 1918, Johnson began his education in a crowded segregated
elementary school. Because there was no public high school for
African Americans in Arkansas City in 1930s, Johnson’s education
would have ended there but for the persistence of his widowed
mother. She moved with her son to Chicago and became a part of the
Great Migration of 1933.

Johnson enrolled in DuSable High School and proved to be an
excellent student. He was president of his class, editor-in-chief of
the high school paper, and won a scholarship to the University of
Chicago. He later landed a job with Supreme Liberty Life Insurance
Company where his duties
entailed collecting news and information about African Americans and
preparing a weekly digest. It was there that he got the idea for
starting his first magazine, Negro Digest, in 1942.

In 1945, Johnson launched his second publication, Ebony,
highlighting the successes of African Americans. Six years later, he
created Jet, focusing on African Americans in politics,
entertainment, business, and sports. Johnson subsequently added book
publishing, Fashion Fair Cosmetics, several radio stations, and
majority ownership in Supreme Liberty Life Insurance. In 1982, he
was the first African American to be included in Forbes Magazine’s 400 Richest Americans. Johnson's 1989 autobiography, "Succeeding
Against The Odds," was a national bestseller in hardcover and
paperback, and an updated version will be published in 2004.

Johnson holds five honorary degrees from major universities,
including Howard, Morehouse, and Harvard. Earlier this year, Johnson
donated $4 million in support of the School of Communications at
Howard University. His gift will help to continue a legacy of
visionary leadership in the field of communications, particularly
the mass media industry.